The loss of Bob Uecker, the legendary Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster, has me looking back and realizing how many happy memories I have that are related to baseball…

• Spring Training–One of my earliest baseball memories, (heck, one of my earliest memories!), is the return of spring training broadcasts on the radio. My mom is a huge Milwaukee Brewers fan, and every year she she counts the days until spring training begins. And so I associated the return of baseball in the spring with the voice of Bob Uecker, and I still think of those early baseball games when I hear his voice, whether on an old Brewers clip or from a movie or TV. He was the voice of my childhood, the soundtrack of every summer, even the nights when we listened through the static on WTMJ after the station turned the power down for the day.
• My First Major League Game, June 14, 1989–The first baseball game I ever went to was at the old Milwaukee County Stadium. I still remember everything about that day…my parents had taken me up to Milwaukee for my birthday, and we were staying at a Best Western motel. It was a rainy, foggy day, and I was convinced that the game would be rained out. They did manage to play, but it was a cold night game, and not a very pleasant night to be at the ballpark. In spite of the weather, I still ate a Dove Bar that one of the vendors was hawking, (“It’s never too cold for a Dove Bar!”), and drank an ice cold soda. I even remember the name of the usher that helped us that evening–Harlan. And unsurprisingly, I sent a letter to Bob Uecker in the press box, and he mentioned me on the broadcast!
• Comiskey Park–I had the chance to go to both the Old and New Comiskey (it will always be Comiskey to me!) parks as a child. Most of my memories involve Old Comiskey, although those memories have very little to do with the actual game (except for “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye”). What I really remember is the street musicians playing outside the ballpark after games, especially the saxaphone players. To this day, whenever I hear street musicians of any kind, (including the drum line that is inevitably outside Busch Stadium after a Cardinals game), I think of the south side of Chicago.
• Wrigley Field–Is there a better time to take a trip to Wrigley Field than in the middle of finals week in college? I didn’t think so! My first (and only), visit to the Friendly Confines was on Lutheran Day my senior year of college. We walked down to the “el” station closest to campus, and took several trains down to Wrigleyville, where we saw the Cubs play. I may be no Cubs fan, but even I can appreciate the history of both the ballpark and the neighborhood, and it was a very fun day of baseball.
• 2006 World Series–The first thing we really watched on TV when we moved into this house (and the reason we got the antenna hooked up in the attic so quickly!), was the final game of the 2006 World Series. Of course we were rooting for the Cardinals, and they didn’t let us down, beating the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in game five to win the championship.
• Commissioner’s Box–For our 10th wedding anniversary, Ryan and I had seats in the Commissioner’s Box at Busch Stadium. It was a rare treat to sit in the green seats which are not only close to the field (we were just a few rows back!), but also so close to the dugout, where we had a good opportunity to really observe the players, whether they were seriously watching the game or goofing around with each other.
• 2011 World Series–11 in ’11 was magical from start to finish. It was the post-season the Cardinals weren’t even supposed to be in…they clinched a spot in the Wild Card game on the final day of the season. By the time they made it the World Series, it seemed like anything was possible, and Game Six, while not the final game of the series, was the pinnacle of an amazing season, and the type of game that fans of not only the team, but the sport itself, will remember forever.
• The Return of Albert Pujols–I’m not sure anything could have gotten me interested in the 2022 baseball season the way the return of Albert Pujols to the Cardinals for the final season of his storied career did. It was the kind of fairytale ending every fan dreams of, but so few actually get to witness, and I was thrilled with every moment, from his first at-bat to the 703rd home run, and every other appearance and antic (including his pitching debut!) we had the pleasure of watching.
• First Game Post-COVID–The first Cardinals game we went to after the pandemic will always hold a special place in my heart, because it was just about the most perfect baseball game I’ve ever been to. Our seats were great, the weather was amazing, and we got to see our favorite battery of Wainwright and Molina work together before they retired. It was a walk-off win for the Redbirds, which was the icing on the cake…I’m not sure I could ever top such a magical day at the ballpark!

Baseball has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I credit a lot of my love for the game to Bob Uecker, the voice of my childhood, and one of the greatest to ever call the game.